John eeicsson



(No Model.) A l J. ERIGSSGN.

SPEED REGULATOR. Y `1-I .2'a8,6-99. Patented Nov. 201883.

Mlm l N. PErERs Pnnmmhagnpmn Wuhan-gm" D c UNITED STATES PATENT rrici.

JOIIN ERICSSON, OFNEW YORK, N. Y.

SPEED-REGULATOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 288,699, dated November20, 1,883.

Appncann fned April 11, 1883. (No model.)

To @ZZ whom t may concern,.-

Be it known that I, JOHN ERICSSON, of th city and county of New York,andState of New York, have invented a new and Improved Speed-Regulator forEngines, of which the following is a speciiication, reference4 being hadto the accompanying drawings. The object of my invention is ,to attainin steam-engines running at avery high velocity a degree of accuracy ofregulation not attainable by the speed-regulators in common use. Inorder to obtain in the highest degree the sensitiveness requisite in aspeed-regulator to accomplish theabove result, it is necessarythat theoperation of the regulator be effected with the least possible movementin its bearings relatively to each other, and of its connections ormeans of communication with the regulating-valve, and .that the frictionof all its parts and connections be reduced to a minimum.

My invention consists, essentially, in anovel combination andarrangement of a centrifugally-operating lever and a counterbalancingvspring, and anovel system of connections or means of communicationbetween the said lever and the regulatingvalve, whereby the requisitereduction of the movement in the bearings and their friction andconsequent sensitiveness are obtained.

Figure l in the drawings exhibits a view of my speed-regulator taken ina plane par allel with its axis, and showing its casing or i carrier insection, and represents also a section of the steam-pipe-and theregulatingvalveto which the speed-regulator is applied. Fig. 2` is aface view of a secondary lever through which the centrifugallyoperatinglever acts upon the valve.

A is what may be termed the carrierH of the speed-regulator, to whichall of its rotating parts are attached, and which I prefer to attachdirectly to the shaft B of the engine to be regulated, though it mightbe attached to another shaft deriving motion from the engine. Thecarrier A might consist of a frame of suitable form to carry the workingparts of the regulator, but is represented inthe form which Iprefer-viz., that of a cylindrical box,with in which all operating partsare inclosed and protected.

Y C D is the centrifugally-operating lever, at-

tached by its fulcrum-pin a to the carrier A tion of the regulator andprojects across and beyond the axis of the regulator. The loaded arm Chas provided for it a support, b, in an opening inthe back` of thecarrier A, and

when the regulator is not in operation the said arm is held to thissupport by the eounterbalancing spring E, one end of which hooks onto apin, c, on the said arm, and the other end of which is connected with anut, d, which is fitted to slide without tarning in a guide, e, l on thecarrier, and to which is tted an adjusting-screw, f, the head of whichbears against the carrier. i

The spring E, represented of spiral form, is so adjusted by the screw fthat when the engine is running exactly at the speed. desired itstension will so counterbalance the centrifugal force `developed in thelever C D that the latter will just touch, without pressing against, thesupport b.

F is the secondary lever, through which the oentrifugally-acting lever CD acts upon the regulating-valve. e This lever F is connected by itsfulorum-pin gwith the carrier A on the opposite side of the axis to thaton which the fulcrum a is situated. The shorter -arm of this lever F isin contact at hwith the hooked extremity of the arm D of thecentrifugallyoperating lever, and the head t' of its longer arm is incontact with one end of the valveoperating rod G, which is situatedinline and concentric with the shaft B. This rod G, in the example of myinvention represented, is the stem of the regulating-valve H; but it isobvious that a rod occupying the same position might have the valvedifferently applied in relation with it to be operated upon by it. Thesaid rod has applied to its other end a small hanging weight, I, whichso presses IOO against it at j as to keep it always pressing against thehead of the lever Fwith just sufficient force to keep the said lever incontact at h with the centrifugally-operating lever. This weight servesalso to open the valve.

The regulating-valve H represented, and which I propose generally toemploy on account of the very slight friction involved in its operationand the great variation of opening which it gives with a slightmovement, consists of a hollow cylinder which slides in a casing, k,fitted to the steam-pipe J, and which controls the passage at Z Z.

W'hile the speed of the engine does not exeeed that desired, and forwhich the tension of the spring E is adjusted by the screw f, theeentrifugally-aeting lever remains just touching, but not pressingagainst, the support b, the centrifugal force developed in said leverbeing just counteracted by the spring 5 but when that speed is exceededthe consequentincrease of centrifugal force developed in the lever C Dwill tend to cause its arm C to assume a position farther from the axisof the regulator,

and so cause its hooked longer arm, D, to pull on the shorter arm of thelever F and canse the longer arm of the latter to so move the rod G asto contract the opening of the valve and reduce the supply of steam. Asthe arm G moves outward the tension of the springE is increased, so thatit continues to counterbalance the centrifugal foreevery nearly. rlhenecessary action on the valve is effected by an extremely slightmovement of the arm C, as this movement is multiplied in the arm D, andalso by the lever F on the valve. The movements of the levers on thefulcra a g, which consist of very small pins, is exceedingly slight, andthere is no perceptible rela'- tive movement of the centrifugally-actingand secondary levers at their point of contact h, the latter beingalways very nearly in a line passing through the centers of thefulerumpins a g, while the relative movement between the lever F and therod G is simply that of a to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The combination, in a speed-regulator, of a rotary carrier, acentrifugally-operating lever attached to said carrier, and having onearm parallel, or nearly so, with the axis thereof, and another andlonger arm extended across and beyond the said axis, an adjustablecounterbalaneing-spring applied to the first-mentioned arm, and means oftransmitting motion from. said longer arm to the legulatingvalve,substantially as herein described.

2. The combination, with a rotary carrier, of` a eentrifugally-operatinglever, C D, ofthe bell-crank form, and asecondary lever, F, hav-v ingtheir fulcra in the said carrier on opposite sides of the axis thereof,a eounterbalancing-spring, E, applied to the bell-crank lever, and ascrew, f, applied to said spring and carrier for adjusting the tensionof said spring, all substantially as herein described.

3. The combination, with a rotary carrier, of thecentrifugally-operating lever C D, the secondary lever D, and thevalve-operating rod G, arranged in line and concentric with the axis ofsaid carrier, substantially as herein described.

J. ERICSSON.

Vitn esses:

S. W. TAYLOR, ED. L. MonAN.

